Customer Reviews

Heads by Harry

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Heads by Harry" reminded me of why I left Hilo ten years ago, and then on the very next page, made me wish I had never left. Mrs. Yamanaka captures so perfectly how it feels to grow up in a small town where everyone knows your parents, knows all about your mistakes, but about your triumphs too. Reading it becomes a uncomfortably personal experience when it is your small town she happens to is dissecting.

This book is as close as most tourists will ever get to the elusive "real" Hawaii promised by their vacation brochures. A Hawaii where brutal men hide their sensitivity under masks of contempt for anything different or "haole". Where the effects of a colonial plantation past cast shadows on the lives of the descendants of Asian migrant workers and where family is your rock, your curse, your tonic - all at the same time. Reading "Heads by Harry" was too familiar and intimate at times, like sitting in your Aunty's living room on a lazy Hilo afternoon, eating smoked meat while watching a steady stream of people wrapped up in their own personal dramas go in and out, beer in hand. The rough language, noble but comical characters, the smell of Bayfront after the evening rain, the yellow-orange haze that descends over Mamo Street and the KTA parking lot after dark, "Heads by Harry" captures Hilo's essence entirely.

Mrs. Yamanaka writes passionately about finding one's place in the world. And while many of us wouldn't necessary choose Mamo Street with it's dusty, out-of-business shop fronts and yes, cross-dressing hookers, she teaches us that sometimes we do not have the luxury of making the choice for ourselves.

Anyone with a rural, small town background who now finds themselves lost in the modern, urban rat race should read this book. Only be prepared for the painful rush of childhood memories about not fitting the mold when fitting in is not an option.

The sublime heights Lois-Ann Yamanaka has previously reached only intensifies my disappointment at the downhill slide this book represents. 'Saturday Night At The Pahala Theater' (Bamboo Ridge Press) established her as the standard in 'local' literature in Hawai'i and was nothing short of a revelation for me and other locals without a recognized literary voice all these years. But now she seems content to churn out 'quick-n-dirty' rehashings of her original themes. In contrast with her earlier work, I failed to find any redeeming qualities in any of her characters (except, ironically perhaps, the transplanted mainland haole). Even crediting them for their somewhat unenviable(though still decidedly middle-class) circumstances, the only feeling these characters elicited from me was an intense desire to slap them all upside the head. I agree with the others that Yamanaka still excels in capturing the senses, images, and moods of local living. But I'm struggling to find the ultimate point of her writing as of late. Her early work stared uncompromisingly into the dark side of local culture, but always transcended it in the end. If nothing else, one always found redemption in the telling. Now, there's a disturbingly voyueristic aspect to her storytelling, almost as if all the dysfunctionalism and tragedy is something simply to be displayed (or worse yet, glamorized) for bestseller-reading audiences. Seems to me like Yamanaka's work has turned -- dare I say it -- cheap.

I loved this book possibly even more than the rest Yamanaka has written. Her voice speaks as clearly through the female narrator as it does through her "in the closet" brother, brutish suitor, and old fashioned family. Yamanaka does a masterful job at showing both the full picture of the underclass in Hawaii, as now the middle class thanks to this story. This book takes you into not just Hawaii, but into all family relations, all over the world. There is no author to date I have found able to make each character as vivacious. I just cant wait for her next book to come out. This author has gotten me started looking for similar novels, though I have not yet found any to compare to the candor and heartfelt emotion in her own works. If you are looking for a story of family trials and tribulations, love and loss, and the beauty of the Islands, look no further.

I stayed up past midnight to finish the book. Today I am somewhere between here and there. Lois- Ann, I know those trails and streets, the taste of smoke meat and river opae, and your characters. You wrote about what you and I know; such a strong sense of place. How strange to feel and see it again through your sharp squid eye.

This is one lyrical wahine. The book was so aborbing I could not put it down. The pain of families and relationships redeemed. The courage of a woman. Fun and Parties. Great Dialog!

This is my favorite Lois-Ann Yamanaka story so far - and I love them all! Heads by Harry characters walk right out of the book and into your life. They are real and interesting and sexy and facinating. Lois-Ann is not afraid to deal with characters who have real struggles, real disappointments, real fun and real feelings. If you have visited Hawaii or live in Hawaii you will appreciate "da kine" pidgin phrases and the colorful local dialogue. Hawaii families are special and this book illustrates why. I love this family and the way they deal with the strange circumstances they find themselves facing. Thank you Lois-Ann for this terrific book!

Lois-Ann Yamanaka's ability to capture the true essence of growing up in Hawai'i is amazing. Though hard for me to swallow at times, Yamanaka boldly explores the darker side of our island paradise as well. Yamanaka bravely incorporates the realities of drugs, sex, unplanned pregnancy and failure into "Heads by Harry." At the same time, she is able to weave all of these things into each character in a different way. This is what makes her book an excellent reading; especially for those of us who grew up in Hawai'i during the timeframe focused on in her book (mid 1970's-mid 1980's) all the way up until now.

It is easy to spot reoccuring character personalities in her books(especially in Toni), however, she always manages to add a little twist to each one. The characters in "Heads by Harry" were more likable in contrast to the characters in "Blu's Hanging." Certain aspects in her book might be a little misleading to someone who hasn't grown up in Hawai'i (or lived here a long time). This can create stereotypes about the island culture.

Regardless, "Heads by Harry" is a wonderful book. I absolutely fell in love with the characters, the atmosphere, the plot, the scenary, and the language. I especially loved the friendly neighbor relations between the Yagyuus' and the Santos'. Such a lovely sentiment, only on Mamo street.

HEADS BY HARRY by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
March 26, 2005

I read this book last summer while vacationing on Maui, the almost-perfect place to read a book that takes place in Hawaii. In HEADS BY HARRY, main character Toni Yagyuu is telling her story of what her life is like living on the big island of Hawaii.

Toni is the middle child of a lower middle class Japanese American family. Her father, Harry O, is the local taxidermist, and it seems like she's being groomed to take over the family business one of these days. The novel details the dysfunctional life that Toni is growing up in, while at the same time it is shown with a touch of humor. I always find Yamanaka's books very interesting, showing a different side to the Japanese American experience that is so far apart from that of those living on the mainland. While there is a lot of humor in this book, I found it more tragic than funny, and although Toni always finds a way to come up on top, the ending to this story is one that I had hoped could have been avoided. Still, I do commend this book, especially since Yamanaka did not go with a Hollywood ending and gave Toni a more realistic ending for a person such as her.

Besides the interesting story line, the characters of this novel jump out at the reader and make the story that more compelling. I especially liked the character of Sheldon, Toni's gay brother, and his dream of being a hairdresser. I had a hard time liking a lot of the other characters, mainly because they were mean spirited, a product of their environment. The reader will watch Toni grow up and eventually make a go at it in college. It is almost painful to watch her try and fail, her dreams always too far to reach.

HEADS BY HARRY is yet another novel by Yamanaka that takes the reader into the life of the Japanese American living on the Hawaiian Islands. The culture in itself is fascinating to read about, and while this was an interesting read, this reader enjoyed BLU'S HANGING much more. Both books are tragicomedies, a type of book that maybe not all readers will enjoy.

What an amazing writer! Yet, I've now read three books by this wonderful author, and the redundancy of the themes is ruining my experience. Why do all the characters have to end with such downtrodden lives, where the girls get pregnant by the middle of the book, the sister is a wannabe diva, and the father and mother just plain don't care?

As for the stereotypes, I think that the stereotypes bring the book alive. You're not supposed to really question the motives of the characters, but instead see how they play out in terms of the main character's life.

Think about it -- if the stereotypical chauvanistic men were sensitive and thoughtful in the book, read Shakespeare, drank port wine instead of beer and snorted coke, remained monogamous, and spoke proper English, would the book be interesting? They're part of the tension that lies in Toni Yagyuu's life, and help shape the experience around her. If they were proper young men, would we really discover that Maverick and Wyatt actually had a sensitive side? Would we even be dealing with the issue of her not knowing who the father was? No, because they'd be acting perfectly from page one, and wouldn't both be sleeping with Toni at the same time. The lives of the characters simply cannot be perfect in order to have a book with a decent plot.

However, the lives of the characters shouldn't be played out over and over and over and over in each work Ms. Yamanaka writes. It's really beginning to disappoint me.

Lois did it again. She is right on the money when she describes her characters and the local culture. Everything she writes about sounds all too familiar to me. The culture, the haole hating and everything else she refers to is so real. This is what Hawaii is all about. Thats why us kama'aina love it so much.